Hank [BS/MSEE,
MSM $$$, Ph.D. Mgmt] teaches 
The Founding Collegians was started by two Purdue students who became enamored by the after hours sport, Beer Pong. Recognizing that more often than not, the rules got changed as the night became more lubricated er, wore on, they first wrote a formal set of rules and incorporated them on a poster. Recognizing further that the “rack” of Beer Pong often was a moving target, thefc set out to manufacture and market a rack/beer pong system suitable for abuse in a typical Beer Pong environment. The results, the poster and the beer pong rack are shown on their web site. The challenge facing these two Purdue graduates, one of which is a former ENTR200 student of mine, is how best to market their products.
Take a look at their web site, and comment on the site, their approach, the validity of their product(s), etc. What do you think of their idea, their product, their marketing, their probable success, additional products etc.? Comments are required of ALL of my students - let’s help Justin out! Hank
For those of you who have no clue what Beer Pong is all about, see the YouTube clip below:
I’m not a party person, but I loved the website. It was funny to read (especially the sample of the Beer Pong Constitution) and fairly easy to follow. It just occurred to me that I hope they have an age restriction for registering on their site. It would not be a good thing if they ended up encouraging underage drinking.
I definatly think that the beer pong rack was something that needed to be invented. Its a great idea and a ton of people would buy it. Sex sells and I bet just about guy would buy one after seeing that posrer of those two girls. Then all they will have to do is drink until the girls they are playing look that good. haha Oh, and I LOVED the video…my roommate was giving me some weird looks though when I told her that was my homework.
I wish the two ex-Purdue students good luck with their idea, but I have some doubts.
I’m not from the US so I’m not really sure how popular beerpong is or not. So right now I’m assuming that it is quite popular.
Right now I want to talk about marketing. The posters: sex does sell, but everyone uses sex nowadays to sell their product. So my suggestion: use the posters if you want, but really try to find a more effective way to sell your product because really, how many of those sexy posters aren’t there out there.
I read the wikipedia article about beer pong and apparently they have a national competition and I think it would be a really good idea to try to convince the officials of that tournament (and officials of other tournaments) to use their products and even hang out their posters during the tournaments. If needed, the boys could provide free racks and posters. This may sound silly, but I think that once a national competition starts using something, the real fans and players will start using them as well. You could compare it to tennis: who uses a wooden racket nowadays? Once those really light, plastic ones came to light, everyone started using them. If the boys play it smart, playing beer pong without (their) racks will become unthinkable.
Another idea might be to try to promote their racks and perhaps even the game on college campusses. They could even go on some sort of nationwide tour, going to several huge campusses, organizing tournaments that use their racks and giving out racks and posters to the winners or something like that.
I think that the only way this can succeed is if they make sure that there’s this idea that you just HAVE to play beer pong while using their racks, that it’s absolute madness not to use racks,…
And offering some additional products could be useful as well. Right now they’re not selling balls, which I find a wasted opportunity. Why wouldn’t a company that makes racks not make balls as well. Same goes for cups. Plus if they sell it cheap balls and cups could be their best selling items (and thus jump-start the sales of the racks), especially if the balls and cups are custom-made for this game. And if they would want to go all-out they could also start selling beer ping t-shirts,caps and even tables. I’m just saying that if I were a beer pong fan right now I wouldn’t be interested so much in a rack, for the simple reason that nobody really uses a rack (or am I wrong? Again i don’t know this game, so if I said something wrong please correct me).
But still, coming up with this idea was quite good. The guys saw a problem and they found a solution. And if they play their cards right I think this can be a quite succesful business.
They took advantage of that opportunity and they created a great product. Their website was fun to read and easy to use. I also wondered about the age restrictions for buying the products.
Seems like a useful product, but I’m not sure if many people would go out of their way to go to the website and purchase one. Maybe they should have them available to other online stores that sell similar products. Also, I would suggest selling more products on this website. I would suggest having a deal where if you buy 2 racks, you get a set of TFG beer pong balls or t-shirts (with the website on there) for free. It gives the customer more incentive to purchase the product and the beer pong balls are good advertisement as well and can attract other players. They could also sell other products like actual beer pong tables, t-shirts, etc. All in all, good idea.
Just wanted to thank those of you who have visited and posted thus far about my website (www.thefc.com). Rough homework, ehh? You all will come to find out that you will have a lot more interesting homework like this coming from Hank! My suggestion to you is to listen to what this man has to say! He knows his stuff! I know its early in the class and the semester, but dont be afraid to speak up in class. This class and this course is soooo much better when the class get heavily involved! Take advantage of this course, it will help you out tons!
Remember, be CREATIVE, be INNOVATIVE! The people that stand out from the rest are the ones that are noticed and succeed in todays world (on this subject….who wants to do some YOU TUBE videos for us and our products?).
On a side not….I hope most of you enjoy the site in some capacity. Please dont hesitate to help spread the word of its existance! We would love some help in the “free” viral marketing area to get this project on solid ground! We also have plenty of products in stock if you happen to need anything for you Beer Pong or Water Pong or Root Beer Pong needs. Also have some great posters and a wonderful e-comic if you are more of the reading type!
Dont forget to upload photos to the site! We doooo give away free stuff each month! Take advantage of being the first few to see the site before we do any nationwide advertising (Much more likely to win stuff this month!).
Thanks again!
Justin - Founder, The Founding Collegians, LLC.
Well in my opinion I think this site is very attracting to the younger public. It really appeals to younger students in college. They took a product that they think would help students in having fun while away at college. The website was hilarious because you would never think that people would be selling beerpong racks when most parents would never think their child would do that. They really grabbed the attention of the younger people which was the purpose of their sales and website. The little devices on the website like things that blink and move and stand out really grab your attention and that also helps on selling what needs to be sold to and audience.
Also, one more touch of advice: Always proof read what you write! I am now noticing a few typos in my last post……..geesh!
Go get’em everyone!
The idea of this Beer Pong marketing compay, in my opinion, goes to show the true, salt-of-the-earth value of entrepreneurship. This core value being a person finding, or stumbling upon, a problem that directly affects them that they believe they can fix. What this student did is remarkable in the sense that he found a problem, knew his target market, and came up with an ingenious idea to fix it.
In every heart of a true entrepreneur lies the urning to find their “big idea” that will furthur them in their entrepreneurial lives. I find myself searching for this break, but know an idea will come to me when I least expect it. So to that, I say Congratulations, and good luck to my fellow Purdue students in their entrepreneurial live.
Ha ha! I especially loved the idea of the “Come on, Can’t you sink your balls in these!” poster! Sexually suggestive, which is a good idea because sex sells! Marketing is good enough but hope it doesn’t mega advertise like all other companies(like on facebook, sending e-mails etc.). They can come up with more posters for sure. And maybe branded table-tennis balls in the future. These guys definitely have a good future since this is a one of a kind market. All I can say is keep up the good work guys! You guys own!
Their approach is remarkable for the fact they took a classic college party game and turned it into a marketable product. Their product seems to have been executed very well because they saw a problem (though small it may seem) and have found a solution. The ideas great, and maybe would work well in gag shops and novelty stores like Spencer Gifts.
Unfortunately for myself, being a female, there wasn’t much marketability for girls to purchase their product (or at least the bundle pack & poster). This is the first time I’ve heard of this product but if marketed in places like facebook it may take this invention of theirs quite far.
It is a well constructed product and they may be successful in selling to retails stores such as Spencers. Additional products might include gift packs for both guys and girls alike.
Good Luck to you both!
Wow. I really enjoyed viewing the website, it is a business that truely steps outside of the box. Such radical and creative ideas could really prove to profitable for these young entreprenuers. Their play on the sex sells theme proved to be entertaining and humorous. I believe touching a customer emtions by way of humor is also a creative sales scheme, especially now that beer pong popularity is having large growth. I really must repeat the website was very fun, but I will say that all the fun and the different window did sort of confuse me initial, I just had to get the flow of the site then it was fine.
The website was nice and I see they grabbed hold of the sex sells thing. They took a simple product and made it look super cool to have one. This increases popularity and makes your product sell more. The video was hillarious.
Although it is a cool idea, the fact of the matter is their products are more of a joke that people will look at laugh and not purchase. It is a typical thing that would be seen in the store spensers, where more often than not things are looked at and not bought. Half the battle of beer pong is cheating, and ontop of that, if you are under the influence of alcohol reading the constituiton on your wall will not come easily. Although I could be very wrong on this.
I think that this is a great idea. It was very simple but what made it sound appealing to me was the way that they are marketing this product. They demonstrated good usage of the idea that sex sells and they are definitely reaching out to the right audience (college guys). The website is fun to browse on also, it makes the whole idea sound and look fun.
At a glance, the site looks tacky due to the links to CollegeHumor.com, the models, and the poor HTML design which makes the entire site look busy. However, I do have to consider the audience in question - college guys who would rarely care about aesthetics. I do believe that the motto “sex sells” is a bit overrated (as demonstrated here). Used in this manner, it serves to partly promote the product but also reduce the customer base by nixing females from the view.
The poster and rack, while both good ideas, seem to be too much of a novelty for the idea to really spread. Most college guys don’t give a damn whether or not the cups are perfectly placed - instead, only some will buy each for the humorous value.
I believe the people who started this should begin to branch out and incorporate other ideas of college partying and etcetera instead of only specializing in beer pong. The poster is probably their best seller, and I can see the same layout of rules for other games as well.
Also, if more of a marketing campaign is utilized, the company would realize more profits. If they were to advertise on college campuses by taping down signs and handing out flyers with ping pong balls attached, it it likely more people would visit the site and the viral word of mouth would take over.
I think that thier idea is a bit out of the ordinary, however they are filling in a need of someoneinsociety.
Thier video was really interesting in the way that it (obviously) doesn’t seem professional in any way. However, they did do a great job on the website. The website looks very professional. It incorporates nice visuals and audios that grab the attention of the surfer. Also, they provide prices, different options for racks, and a list of reasons that one should purchase a rack and/or a poster. I say great job and much success to you!
Well, first off, there are already beer pong tables being marketted on the web in standard sizes, most of which come with “the rules” of beer pong. Also, anyone who’s been to a beer pong tournament or party, knows that House Rules rule and most houses play by different rules. However, the idea of the rack is a neat one since towards the end of the night, the formations do get sloppy, and more cups of Keystone seem to be splashed to the floor. The marketing is definately geared towards the male demographic, and it might be helpful and profitable to also market to females, since both genders play the game, and I’ve known plenty of beer pong tournaments held by college girls. I think you could make the site look a little more professional, perhaps with a more sport-like or party feeling to it. I think that a more professional looking website will help instill confidence in consumers that it’s not a scam site, and some well-placed targeted web ads could do wonders. (little technical comments: you might want to think about not using the courier font for you headers and invest some time in photoshop making headers, and your shopping cart does not reflect enough of your homesite to make it really flow. Perhaps you should carry over your main-page logo at the top over to your store on every page. It lets users know that they’re still on the same website. Users shouldn’t have to think.)
Great idea. This should go over well in a college town. Just needs to be marketed more. I like the idea of having since every time there are different ways to play. The website is age appropriate for those who would buy the product. If the racks are dishwasher safe then they should sell for sure. Less clean up faster set up=more college fun!
that should say I like the idea of having set rules
I think that this is a great website/venture because it focuses heavily on male college students, whom I imagine are the largest group of beer pongers. I personally think they have a great product because stopping games to adjust cups that we poorly racked slows everything down. The rack will also keep cups from sliding around once the table gets wet.
As for the site, It could use a little more refining. The College Humor link is a good touch, but should have a better image. I hope that the contests attract more people to your website.
They do a good job at reaching the type of audience that they are looking to attract. One way they do this is by adding different things such as the posters and various contests. They also have a link to College Humor, which would also appeal to college students. Their products, such as the racks, can prove to be very helpful. Sometimes though, rules vary depending on where you are, different houses or places have different rules. This is something that people may not want to change.
The beer pong website was really cool. It clearly solves a problem and their is a market for a stable rack and an officail rule poster. Not too mention the website targets the right crowd for what they are selling. Sex sells but it just seems like somthing is missing. The website does not convince me I need a beer pong rack and poster. maybe i`m just being overly critical. Yeah it is a really cool site. It needs something though. I just don’t feel complelled to go out and buy it. Maybe if they included real pictures of people playing the game, and spent more time on the website it would seem more professional. It really is a goog idea though.
I like the reuse of a product (a rack) into a slightly new area. Some video demos and action shots might be a nice touch to the site.
This is a great idea. It may be tough to market, but it seems like they have taken the best approach so far. The posters will be a real hit especially in apartments and frats all across Purdue. The prices are very fair for college students. Something they could do with the trays and cups - take custom orders with different design themes. For example, they could let people order a Purdue colored set. Good Luck! I hope it all works out!
Great posts by everyone! I like the product, but don’t know if it will catch on at house parties. The art of beer pong are the “house rules” which makes every game different and entertaining.
On another note, I would try selling these products to bars on local campuses that have beer pong. Then it may catch on for the student, convincing them to buy the products. Lastly, have the bars sell these racks. Iit is including a middle man but people are drunk at bars and will practically buy anything.
All I have to say is way to be in touch with your target audience! Of course it isn’t as though you have been away from the college seen for too long, but the validity of your product reaches much farther then Purdue students. Every school you visit has their own set of rules and this is a nice way to unify them under one set. Of course people will always amend things to their own preferences (e.g. Monopoly), but with good base of rules that are known as common knowledge to all people who play, the night will progress much more smoothly. Also, it is quite obvious that you know that sex sells after viewing your site and taking notice to some of the shapes you have your rack imitating. This product will sell itself to just about every frat in the nation.
I noticed the link to collegehumor.com on their website. I think it would be very wise to put forth strong efforts to websites like collegehumor as obviously the target market is almost entirely related to college-aged individuals, and there is a whole culture online in sites such as college humor celebrating college and party life. I feel that there is a substantial opportunity for these guys if they successfully continue marketing and selling their racks and accessories. Also, I would venture to say there are opportunities to sell new products relating to the beer pong accessories and party-ware. My guess is they may already be working on more stuff.
Thank you all very much for your posts! I hope to continue getting feedback from all of you! If anyone has any questions / concerns / comments I am sure Hank would not mind giving out my personal email address!
Maybe I can make it to your class to talk with all of you……….and bring some free stuff with me! Maybe you all can convince Hank to allow your class to take on my company and have a lesson in “Viral marketing” and its effectiveness in this type of marketplace. Blog campaign, facebook campaign, “leaked photos” of the products and site, maybe some well placed posters and fliers……..and so on and so fourth.
Would be a fun activity it would also give you all real world experience and would be a great teaching tool!
Hope to visit your class soon….and bring free stuff! Thanks for all of the input!
The website is very well put together and gets their product across, they need to find a way to get their site infront of more college students. The posters are a great idea, you guys need to come out with ping pong balls with your logo on it.
I think the website was well done, and the product is witty. There is a good chance for success by targetting the audience they are. College is where it’s at. I think the products are good. I especially like the cup tray. The video they made adds interest, because many people know that song, therefore they feel as if they can relate to the website right away. I think they could make some money with this someday. Good Luck guys!
I am honestly not a party girl by any stretch of the imagination, so I have a difficult time relating to your product. This may be the more niave part of my talking, but maybe you could eventually made a sister site that introduces the game with non alcoholic beverages. This may help to reduce risk of underaged kids using your actual beer pong site.
I also wonder how big of a demand there is for your product. I understand that it is to help create structure when structure has been lost, but isn’t that the point of a drinking game… to get somewhat, well, tipsy and to lose your life’s structure temporarily? If the people playing this game wanted structure they would go to a tupperware party, not to a frat party with a mean beer pong tournament in session.
I don’t doubt that you will be able to sell ur product, but is there really a sufficient enough demand there to make an honest profit? Personally, I would say no.
This is really interesting! Considering the fact that I never played beer pong viewing their website really has caught my attention. I guess media do plan an important part in advertising. This is very creative I actually memorize the hook and I only watched it once. That’s a plus! Good Idea, and good plan, but I have a question, do you think that this would cause a lot of under age drinking as well as alcohol posing? Overall this is a good plan and good advertising! Very innovative! “I got Beer Pong in the Cup”
I thought the site was fun and appealing to its audience. However the beer pong rack will most likely only be appealing to a young audience. Not to many 30 year olds are playing beer pong. The rack could be a big hit around colleges and parties all around. The sex sales scheme by using the attracting signs was definitly a good idea to attract the more wild male students. This was a good idea. The only bad part about trying to sale a product like this is that many people may just think it is a gag gift sort of thing. It may be fun to hear about or use somewhere, but many people might just laugh at the pong rack. Overall I believe the beer racks are a good idea.
There website is definately geared towards the male collage student, which is perfect. the site shows the exciting, dynamic sport of beer pong. also, the advertisement about comic is perfect for this site. Just like beer pong, the comic was made to appeal to male collage students.
The idea is great to a party person. I am not a party person. I read some of the blogs and the idea of using the rack for non alcoholic drinks is a great idea. The website is okay but definitely needs to invite girls to the sex sell theme. If you want a larger profit, you have to be able to sell to everybody in college and not just the guys.
Yes, finally someone is trying to resolve the two biggest problems at any party. Arguing over the rules and watching cups fall off the table are an every night occurrence at all parties i attend. I like to party so I know where the founders are coming from when they decided to make an actual list of rules and make a holder so that that cups aren’t sliding all over the table after a long night. I really liked viewing there site. I feel they did a good job with the overall theme and getting their point across to the customer about their product all over their site.
I think it is a great solution to a problem everyone who plays the game runs into. The best way to get it out there is through word of mouth and by people actually seeing the product being used. It might be worth giving several sets out to college bars that support beer pong. Once people use the rack and see the benefits I think it will spread, but you’ll need to get it out there first by giving a bunch out for free. The product has a lot of potential. Awesome idea!
I used the rack last night, and I liked them better than expected. The best feature on the rack is stopping cups for sliding, moving and being knocked over (I admit knocking a few off but that’d besides the point).
As stated, I am a fan of the racks, but I don’t know if I’d buy one. If they were at a party I would use it, and did, but I’m a cheap college kid and unnecessary purchases is the last thing I need to do.
John brings up a good point regarding the “cheapness” of college students. Maybe there could be a different way to monetize stuff–maybe in a Web 2.0ish kind of way…
I think this idea is great. They have a very attractively put together website, it is also very easy to navigate. This is such a big activity at colleges now so if they can get their name out there they will get big sales. They also have some pretty cool products that some people wouldn’t think of.
Well they have done a nice job defining their target market and shaping their advertising/marketing efforts toward them. I think everyone agrees that this market segment is very price conscious, so it’s going to be important that they take that into consideration. Maybe they’ll introduce it at a lower price just to penetrate the market and make it one of those must haves around campuses and parties.
i’m not sure if anyone has said this yet or not, but another great way to help
the site grow is not just make it about ruit (beer pong to those mid-westers).
have different sections for more drinking games. special table shapes that
fit a particular game (round or rectangular). i’ve seen a lot of “official beer pong”
tables, make one of your own, maybe with the picture of the girls on it. it will
cost money but it may help getting your brand name out there.
Looks like they’re doing good. But i don’t like it. It doesn’t benifit society very much either.
The website is quite funny and the sexual associations are great. Since beer pong is a popular ‘party’ game, the opportunities to enter the market are available. However, I am worried about the longevity of the game and its lifespan as a college game. Nevertheless, this is a perfect example of spotting a problem and fixing it.
The product is quality, and a good example of a product being a solution to an everyday problem. It is easy to see how a product like this can take off at Purdue (or any university really), the issue is broadening the customer base. I think the easiest way to get the name out is simply word of mouth. It would be a simple ploy to make it a must have at all the campus parties. Having people coming to parties and demonstrating the product would be quick and effective, but gaining a larger share of the market would entail some serious marketing to simply make the name a college jargon. The website is an excellent tool as well as sponsoring contests. This is a simple and practical product and I hope to see continued success from them.
I love the idea. I think it was a great way to capitalize on a game with mass appeal. Their website could be better since college students are constantly online but they are headed in what seems to me a profitable direction. The addition of realated products are probably soon to come and improvements on current prodcuts will keep beer pong accessories/necessities in demand on campuses nation wide. They know their market but continuing to identify with students as they get older will probably become an issue if ignored. I wish them the best of luck!
I think it’s a good idea that someone invent something like this. The video was good and gave me a good laugh, but something I think would make it more profitable would be to make it a little smaller, or more compact. If you travel to parties, it’s not exactly something you’re going to want to carry with you, because face it, who does that? If you’re the host however, I think that it’d be a great way to start a few new ‘house rules’ and get the idea out there.
As far as the constitution poster…everyone in college should have one of those. That’s just great.
They definetly took advantage of a great opportunity with this and I want to applaud them on their idea. I have never been a big partier though by any means, I just figured there’s always a way to have fun without alcohol and all, but I did go to parties. Yeah the rules defintely change as the time goes on……its quite simply really the drunker you are the more you change things